West Chester schools settles with support staff

WEST GOSHEN – The West Chester Area School Board approved a three-year contract with district service support professionals at the board’s annual reorganization meeting, coming to terms after months of negotiation and finishing with a contract which will provide savings to the district.

“It’s a contract that was built on collaboration and compromise,” said board President Vince Murphy, at Monday’s meeting. “It’s a contract that was based on a shared understanding that we are doing the best we can do for these staff members given the financial challenges this district is facing. I commend the West Chester Service Support Professionals for recognizing this fact and for accepting the changes we have proposed.”

The total cost agreement, which spans July of 2012 through June of 2015, remains under the Act 1 Index of 1.7 percent, which is a state-calculated percentage based on state and national employment costs.

Nearly 100 employees are covered under the agreement, which calls for salary increases of 24 cents an hour in the first year, 49 cents an hour in the second year, and 38 cents an hour in the third year.

The new contract, ratified by members at a vote taken Saturday, Dec. 1, adopts health care changes that will provide more than $380,000 in savings, the board said. The agreement adds cost sharing on prescriptions, dental and vision and increases the contribution from 10 percent to 14 percent by the end of the contract.

Tuition reimbursement remains a part of the contract.

“We should all thank the Service Support Professionals,” said board member Sean Carpenter, in a statement released by the district. “As this agreement marks a reversal from the past three years of unconstrained costs amid dwindling revenue. In limiting the total cost of the contract, and importantly the full benefits cost, this agreement will help the district uphold its mission of student achievement.”

Carpenter, who is also chairman of the board’s property and finance committee, said the contract would not have been possible without the two parties understanding the fiscal realities of the district, calling the agreement “profoundly beneficial” to both the district and employees.

According to Murphy, the health insurance plan mirrors the proposal given to the West Chester Area Education Association, which Murphy said the teachers’ union has yet to consider.

The agreement passed by a vote of 8-1 Monday with board member Heidi Adsett casting the dissenting vote.

Adsett congratulated both sides on reaching an agreement, but notified the board she would not be voting for its approval.

“I’m opposed to a contract that includes forced unionism,” Adsett said. “It’s my view that public employees should not have union representation forced on them or be forced to pay union fees as a condition of employment. It’s my belief that the individual employee should make the decision on who represents them, not the school district or the union.”

According to the board, the contract establishes a committee of bargaining unit members and administrators to develop an evaluation process.

“This contract represents the true spirit of compromise,” Murphy said. “The West Chester Service Support Professionals recognized that it was financially necessary for us to make changes with our insurance plan offerings and other benefits and they worked with us to make this contract a reality.”